Every year, the Cecil College Departmental Awards are voted on by faculty and awarded to a graduating student in their respective department. Being chosen is an honor, and a sign of not only a good student, but one who has made their mark on the college. This year’s winners will be honored during the Student Award and Recognition Ceremony on May 11th. The Departmental Award winners will also be mentioned during the graduation ceremony, which will have three student speakers.

Sean Connor is receiving the Mathematics Departmental award. He began classes at Cecil in 2011, and has since been working on five degrees (math, physics, electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science). He looks forward to continuing his education at the University of Minnesota. Sean Connor is passionate about “knowledge and truth; I hope to contribute to the advancement of human understanding by pursuing a Ph.D. in theoretical physics and conducting research on the fundamental mysteries of the universe.” In response to receiving the Mathematics Departmental award, he says “I feel as though I have worked my hardest over the previous few years without rest, and this is recognition for doing so.”

Jacob Lester is receiving the Psychology Departmental award. His Cecil experience “begins with a leap of faith to stay at home after high school and attend Cecil rather than go straight to a four year university, and it has been a wonderful experience. At Cecil I have been successful because of hard work, great education, terrific faculty, wonderful friends, and opportunities to involve myself.” He is passionate about many things, including “human rights: the right to pursue happiness, to free love and marriage, the right to safety and to equal treatment. I am passionate about psychology and mental health. It is a wonderful field that requires a lot of good people to make a difference, and I can’t wait to be a part of that.” To Lester, accepting this award is “the culmination of the Psychology faculty’s faith in me to be successful in the field and in my education. It is a silent expression of ‘yes, you can’ that means the world to me.”

Kayla Gaskill is receiving the Physics Departmental Award. She began her time at Cecil College “as a Graphic Design student. However, after taking my first math and physic classes, I knew the STEM field was my true calling. From there I changed my major to Mechanical Engineering and began working in the Math and Physics lab in order to gain valuable work experience in the field I love. I currently hold six Associates degrees in Engineering, as well as, Associates in Math and Physics. With a lot of hard work and some excellent professors, I now know that the STEM field is my true passion.” This passion also extends to the knowledge that she is “breaking barriers and setting a good example for young females fuels my work ethic and passion in the STEM field and my future job.” To Gaskill, “getting this award means that others recognize me for all the long nights and hard work that I have put in to make my dreams a reality.”

The other Departmental Award winners are Erin Cebula for Art, Brianna Brown for Business/Accounting, Michael Price for Computer Science, Connor Shivery for Criminal Justice, Brittany Atkins for Education, Sara Jo Sowiak and Cait Wooten for English, Mandolyn Magaw for Environmental Science, Ashleigh Donithan for Nursing and Health Professions, Maya Price for Performing Arts/Music, Elaine Steese for Social Work, and Hannah DiIulio for Visual Communications

Jordan Brown will be one of the three speakers at the Graduation Ceremony this year, alongside Joshua Adams and Jordan Grigg. She also won the Biology Departmental Award. She is a part of the Early College Academy, “so I am a dual enrollment student at Oxford Area High School and Cecil. My parents originally told me about the program, and I have been in it since freshman year of high school. This year I am a senior in high school and am also graduating from Cecil.” She is passionate about biology and medicine, “which has shaped my future career aspirations to become a pediatric cardiac surgeon.  This passion along with my passion for giving back and helping others has led me to spend my summers volunteering at hospitals and further contributed to my career choice.” Brown says she is “not usually a public speaker so [speaking at graduation] is a great way to try something new and get out of my comfort zone, while also sharing with others about the ECA program which has made a huge impact on my growth and academic success.”

Joshua Adams is one of the three graduation speakers. His passion for nursing and helping others “comes from a personal incident in which I almost lost my brother in a tragic motorcycle accident.  The nurses throughout both the acute stages of his injuries in the ICU as well as the nurses during his rehabilitation have been such an integral part in not only his recovery, but ours as well. I, in turn, would like to provide that level of support and compassion for others in similar situations.” He says that “hard work, dedication and prioritization led me to where I am today.  I made a lot of personal sacrifices with friends and family to achieve this goal. All of my friends and family supported my endeavor to fulfill my dream of becoming a nurse and I look forward to getting back some of the lost time with them as soon as this semester is complete.” To Adams, “being able to speak at graduation is a great honor. I am proud of my achievements in the nursing program and honored to be recognized to represent the student body.”

Photo credit to cecil.edu